Avoiding Bad Trades
Don't make the mistake of giving up your good pieces for less valuable ones. It's important that you evaluate all possible...
Assisted Checkmates
Because the king can't move into check it is often possible to checkmate by placing a queen next to the opponent's king...
Checkmate With Two Rooks
One good way to checkmate is to use two rooks, or a rook and a queen to force a lone opposing king to the edge or the board....
Checkmate With A Rook
The easiest way to checkmate with king and rook against king is to follow this process: 1. Use your rook to put the opposing...
Checkmate With A Queen
Follow a four-step process to make an assisted checkmate with a queen. 1. Place your queen one knight move away from the...
The 4-Move Checkmate (Scholar's Mate)
At beginner levels, games are frequently won and lost with the four move checkmate, also known as Scholar's Mate. It's most...
Your Opponent's Move
It’s important to pay attention to what your opponent is trying to do each turn. You want to watch out for any checks, captures,...
Phases Of The Game
Chess games typically feature three phases. The opening is when each side focuses on developing their pieces from the back...
Active Pieces
An active piece has the potential to make many moves. At the start of the game, most pieces can't move at all and the knights...
Protect Your King
King safety is the most important positional factor in chess. Usually the best way to secure your king is to castle. That...
Develop Your Pieces
Take control of the game by developing your pieces rapidly to squares where they control the center. You want to develop...
Control The Center
Put your pieces in the ideal position to control the most important part of the board - the center. Try to attack those...
Other Draws
Not all chess games are won or lost. Sometimes they end in a draw. These are the ways that can happen: 1. Stalemate. 2....
The Language of Chess
Every square in chess has a name based on a coordinate system. All files have a letter, from a - h, going from the queen's...
Moving and Capturing
A great strategy to help win chess games is to capture opposing pieces. Most captures are made the same way that pieces...
Check
Check means that one side is threatening to capture the opposing king. You never capture the king in chess, so the other...
Getting Out Of Check
When you are in check you must escape check. The ways to get out of check are to move the king, block the check with another...
Checkmate
You win when your opponent is in check and cannot escape. That is called checkmate!
Fastest Checkmate
Have you ever wondered what the fastest possible checkmate is in chess? The fastest possible checkmate takes only two moves....
Stalemate
Stalemate occurs when there are no possible moves, but neither king is in check. Stalemate is a draw, even if one of the...
Castling
Castling is a special move to protect your king and activate your rook. It's the only time in chess you can move two pieces...
En Passant
This is the most unusual rule in chess - make sure you learn it. En-passant occurs when a pawn has just moved two squares....
Finding The Right Move
There are dozens of possible chess moves at any time. How do you find the right one? Each turn you will want to consider...
Playing A Game
Watch a complete game of chess played with all moves explained, 1. e4 c6 Both sides move pawns towards the center. 2. d4...
How To Set Up A Chessboard
Now that you know how the pieces move, it's time to set up and start the game. Each player starts with a light square in...